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Bought a car which broke down days later. Sale of goods act clarification
On the 21st of Sept 2013 I bought a Ford C-Max from a second hand dealer, explaining, that I drive about 30k a year for work and need a reliable car.
I was also driving to Exeter on the Thursday for a week towing a caravan. Bought the car Wednesday and on Thursday it had an engine system fault, dropping power and scaring me. I stopped in a layby and turned around to go home.
When I restarted the engine the fault was gone. I hitched up the caravan and 20 minutes into the journey (having done some research on the net regarding this vehicle, which suggested turning off and on the ignition if it happened in transit) it happened again and I turned ignition to off then on again.
Eventually the car wouldn't start at all and was towed to garage, came back running, drove it twice and then same thing happened again. I have now been fighting to get them to fix the vehicle (they have it at the moment) but I have lost all faith in them and the vehicle. As I drive long distances (often 3 hours away or more) I simply cannot have it break down again when I am not at home.
They are prepaired to fix it and say that I cannot invoke the Sale of Goods act because they are trying to fix it. How long or how many times do I let them 'try' to fix it before I can say enough is enough I want my money back to spend elsewhere?
I was also driving to Exeter on the Thursday for a week towing a caravan. Bought the car Wednesday and on Thursday it had an engine system fault, dropping power and scaring me. I stopped in a layby and turned around to go home.
When I restarted the engine the fault was gone. I hitched up the caravan and 20 minutes into the journey (having done some research on the net regarding this vehicle, which suggested turning off and on the ignition if it happened in transit) it happened again and I turned ignition to off then on again.
Eventually the car wouldn't start at all and was towed to garage, came back running, drove it twice and then same thing happened again. I have now been fighting to get them to fix the vehicle (they have it at the moment) but I have lost all faith in them and the vehicle. As I drive long distances (often 3 hours away or more) I simply cannot have it break down again when I am not at home.
They are prepaired to fix it and say that I cannot invoke the Sale of Goods act because they are trying to fix it. How long or how many times do I let them 'try' to fix it before I can say enough is enough I want my money back to spend elsewhere?
Asked on 4 September 2013 by Pontoef
Answered by
Honest John
Naive to expect a 96k mile £2,700 C-Max diesel to be capable of a further 30k miles a year. But the law is on your side and if you did not damage the car by using it to tow with you can return it to the dealer for a refund. Law here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/
Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.
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